Tour Egypt: Aswan

Take it easy in laid back Aswan

Aswan is a perfect antidote to Luxor 's tourist bustle. Straddling the sparkling Blue Nile, dotted with smooth milky rocks and flanked by dusty palm trees, relaxed Aswan has its own, distinctly African, ambience. The city has a large population of Nubians who resettled here after the Aswan Dam project flooded their land in the 1960s(in all, 120,000 people lost their homes). Extending an olive branch, Cairo has funded the Nubian Museum, Egypt's newest, which documents Nubian culture and history(hang around for the catchy syncopation of the folk music/dance show).

The best thing about Aswan, however, is spending some time on a felucca(a traditional sailing boat), silently weaving in and out of the Elephantine Islands, named for their resemblance to a herd of bathing elephants. For sheer indulgent relaxation, a felucca is unbeatable. Stopping off at Kitchener 's Island allows you to cool off and wander around the botanical gardens. Further forays on feluccas take you to the Roman temple complex of Isis on the island of Philae, dating back to 300BC, while those with time on their hands can take a four-day sailing trip to Luxor.

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